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I’m moving to the Bronx and I’m at an impasse between a spacious apartment in the Brady Court complex off Pelham Parkway and a smaller apartment on Decatur Ave near Bedford Park Blvd. I’ve read many things, most complimentary, about the Mosholu/Bedford Park area on these forums. Does anyone have any insight on Brady Court, the general vibe of the complex & surrounding neighborhood? Is it the type of place where you have to wade through people/school kids hanging out in the summer and ask people to kindly get off your car? It's been advertised as a gated oasis, which implies to me that's a nice place in the middle of a not-so-nice place. Of course, I take all real estate ads with a grain of salt.
I don't mind urban elements, but I'm trying to gauge which location will be more likely to have relative peace and quiet, where people might actually like living there, as opposed to biding time ‘til they can escape to someplace better. I rejected a lovely apartment off Fordham Rd because the area was way too busy/noisy.
And I'm not at all afraid of taking the 4, D, 2 or 5 trains at night, so please don't make that a factor, lol.
nyja,
Not long ago I went through exactly what you are going through-looking for a coop or condo in The Bronx.I looked for over a year and very carefully investigated almost every neighborhood and looked at dozens of apartments in dozens of buildings.
For too many reasons to explain here my search eventually narrowed down to either Bedford Park or Pelham Parkway.I looked at a number of buildings on and around Mosholu Parkway including one at 2962 Decatur which might be the building you are thinking about.I also looked at a few apartments in Brady Court !
I liked Bedford Park a lot but in the end decided that it was a little too quiet for me.I realized that I was looking for a more urban type neighborhood. The area around Decatur and Mosholu has a lot of apartment buildings but seems almost suburban to me in many ways. You might feel differently and find that area more attractive for the same reason.If it is 2962 Decatur that you are looking at it seemed like a nice building that could be maintained a little better.I may have been concerned that it wasn't established enough.... what's the % of owners/vs renters? Isn't it around 50%? Nice apartments though and pretty low maintenences.
In the end I chose Pelham Parkway because I liked the diversity of the neighborhood,the more urban vibe,and the transportation and shopping conveniences.Brady Court is really sweet and some of the apartments are nice and big but I had a few concerns 1) the neighborhood immediately to the south seemed a little iffy to me 2) The maintenances were higher than on comparable apartments elsewhere.It made me wonder about the underlying finances of the building.3) at the time there were a lot of apts in the complex that were for sale at inconsistent prices. Made me nervous.It is at the very fringe of the Pelham Parkway neighborhood and I saw nicer buildings.
I guess what I am saying is that if it was just between 2962 Decatur and Brady Court,I would have chosen Decatur. But I actually like Pelham Parkway a lot and found an apartment and a building that I like a lot better than either.
You might want to check out the other end of the Pelham Parkway neighborhood before you decide.Look on the Blocks North of Pelham Parkway,East of Bronx Park,South of Waring Ave and West of White Plains Road.There are 7 or 8 coop buildings in a compact area.Many are actually on the park with great views yet only 2 blocks from the Pelham Parkway stop and all the shops on White Plains Road.
Bluedog, that's interesting that you found Bedford Park to feel suburban. Actually, it's a pretty dense neighborhood, though relatively calm for the density. There is, however, a kind of loud building on the corner of Bedford Park Blvd. and Decatur. However, I'm not familiar with the building you're considering on Pelham Parkway, but in general I like the Pelham Parkway area.
We chose Bedford Park over the east Bronx partially because the transportation seemed to be more convenient. Open space is nice with the NYBG in addition to Mosholu Parkway, and there's a lot of good things within walking distance here. And honestly, I prefer the topography of the West Bronx over that of the East (although that's probably totally unimportant to most).
Maybe suburban was the wrong word. Isolated might have been a better choice but that is not quite right either.In the buildings that I was looking in around Bedford Park the subway was 6 or 7 blocks away and any "real" shopping (large supermarket,banks,restaurants,etc) seemed the same distance or more.
Hate to sound lazy,but in the end I decided that I wanted to be within 2 or 3 blocks of everything. Sounds picky,I know, but it made a big difference to me. I like to feel able to pop out and get anything or get to the subway in a few minutes rather than 10 or 15 mins.
Overall,I liked the Bedford Park neighborhood a lot though and it was my 2nd choice of all the neighborhoods I looked in.... and I looked everywhere!
Well I guess there's not a whole lot of retail on Bedford Park itself, just the necessities. We do have several good-sized supermarkets right here though----Pioneer on Webster where we tend to go, I think a C-town on 204 (this side of Mosholu), and there's one more on the Concourse. There's only couple of bars and a few restaurants though- a couple of Mexican, Korean a few diners. The banks and major drug store are across Mosholu on 204th, which is like a 5 or 10 min. walk depending on where you live. Perhaps that's one of the reasons it seems so quiet. I guess I'm used to it. I'll go to Fordham Road for almost anything else, or downtown if I need anything more upscale. We go over to little Italy sometimes for good Italian or to buy bread/pastries (I cut through FU so get there pretty fast).
Transportation is on the edges of the neighborhood, so it could be several blocks, depending on where you live. I like that there are subways to take you to either the east or west side of Manhattan, so you don't have to switch. The metro-north is a nice option. I'll take it on weekends when the fares are reduced and the D runs local.
Bluedog, I'm looking north of pelham parkway as well, but I've found that once you cross the street it gets significantly pricier, as in almost Riverdale prices. I once saw a few apartments in a beautiful triangular shaped building right on pelham pkwy (601 pelham pkwy I believe) that were easily $30-$60K more, and for less square footage. Brady Court wasn't my first choice but it's more affordable. I guess I'm hoping the price and location doesnt mean it's co-op with a projects vibe.
In terms of local conveniences, I don't need the shopping strip right at my doorstep, just near enough to easily get to. Eventually I'd like to get rid of my car and rely solely on this unlimited monthly metro card I'm already buying just to get to work Doesnt seem like there's easy street parking in either location, and judging from the map they're both a bit of a walk from their respective subway stations but I'm going to check that out this weekend.
On another note, over the summer I saw people laying out with blankets and such in the park on the Mosholu end. Does that happen/are there places conducive to doing so on the Pelham Pkwy end?
First of all ,I don't think Brady Court has any kind of a projects vibe so I wouldn't worry about that.There are a lot of apartment buildings packed into that area but a lot of them are coops on Holland,Cruger and Wallace and there are a lot of older people living in them.The neighborhood is extremely diverse in every respect... race,age, ethnicity,religion and income.I don't ever feel any kind tension or bad vibe anywhere.People say White Plains Road under the el is a little scary real late at night but I am not out then so if it's true I don't see it.
Parking might be more of an issue South of the parkway because the population density is more. North of the parkway has parking along the park and a lot of the buildings were built later so they have garages underneath.
The median of the parkway itself has the same beachy atmosphere in summer that you saw on Mosholu. Same with the park( Bronx Park).
The building that you mentioned (601 Pelham Parkway) might be a little more expensive but is probably worth it.It is an architecturally important building and a long established,stable coop...since the 80's.It is impeccably well maintained ,has a gorgeous lobby and nice apartments.You also might have seen an apartment facing the park or looking downtown ? You can see the buildings in Manhattan, including the Empire State Building ,from the 6th floor apts.
You have to also consider the maintenance.When I was looking I realized that the apartments that seemed cheaper often had higher maintenances per sq ft . If you are going to pay 150.00 or 200.00 a month more in maintenance in one building why not just pay a slightly higher price,especially if it feels like a better building.Lower maintenance usually indicates a smaller underlying mortgage too. Don't forget to ask your broker what amount of the underlying mortgage is applicable to the apartment you are thinking about . Add that figure to the asking price because the two figures added together is what you are really paying . And ask if there have been any foreclosures in the building or if there are any owners behind in their maintenance payments!
How big is the apt in Brady Court ? I know that right now there is a pretty big 1 br in 2244 Bronx Park East (about 900 sq ft) for around 149,000 with a maint of about 500.That building also faces the park but I don't know if that apartment does.There are a couple of 2 br apts in the building on Thwaites and Barker.... they might be like 1,100 sq ft with 2 baths.
There are a couple of buildings on Barker and Waring that have 1 and 2 br's but they are condo's and condo's are always a bit more... for why I don't know.
Is the apt you are thinking about on Decatur the one I thought ( 2962) ? That building and 601 Pelham Parkway and 2244 Bronx Park East were all cooped by the same sponsor and it is a very reputable company. All of their coop buildings in The Bronx and Brooklyn seem better run and maintained than most.
Re subways : I think Brady court is actually closer to the Bronx Park East stop on the 2 than to the Pelham Parkway stop and it is also probably closer to the Morris Park stop on the 5.
I have more Bronx real estate info in my head than I really want at this point so feel free to ask any questions.
In response to your inquiry....I loved Brady Court! I only left because my situation required my living closer to my support system (family)....the people are friendly, working class individuals that take pride in where they live. I lived there for 3 years and had zero negative experiences! The board is very responsible and the maintenance workers work hard to keep it clean and beautiful! Good luck
Quote:
Originally Posted by nyja
I’m moving to the Bronx and I’m at an impasse between a spacious apartment in the Brady Court complex off Pelham Parkway and a smaller apartment on Decatur Ave near Bedford Park Blvd. I’ve read many things, most complimentary, about the Mosholu/Bedford Park area on these forums. Does anyone have any insight on Brady Court, the general vibe of the complex & surrounding neighborhood? Is it the type of place where you have to wade through people/school kids hanging out in the summer and ask people to kindly get off your car? It's been advertised as a gated oasis, which implies to me that's a nice place in the middle of a not-so-nice place. Of course, I take all real estate ads with a grain of salt.
I don't mind urban elements, but I'm trying to gauge which location will be more likely to have relative peace and quiet, where people might actually like living there, as opposed to biding time ‘til they can escape to someplace better. I rejected a lovely apartment off Fordham Rd because the area was way too busy/noisy.
And I'm not at all afraid of taking the 4, D, 2 or 5 trains at night, so please don't make that a factor, lol.
Personally, I just enjoy Pelham Parkway for a lot of reasons. Its very ethnically and culturally diverse, it has a beautiful green space going further east to Pelham Bay and its one of the nicer areas in the Bronx. You're not far from good shopping, the 2 train, the 12 bus (which takes you to all the train stations in the Bronx and 2 in Manhattan) Jacobi and Einstein hospital and you just are in simply awesome area of the Bronx.
I've been there all hours of the day and night and compared to where I live right now (Wakefield) there's never any real problems. I feel safe walking around during the wee hours of the night and you don't have to worry about people loitering in front of your building. I really enjoy Pelham Parkway, I would move there.
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Doesnt seem like there's easy street parking in either location, and judging from the map they're both a bit of a walk from their respective subway stations but I'm going to check that out this weekend.
Brady Court
